Adjustable packing-bin for fruit, &amp;c.



No. 863,572. PATENTEDAUG. 13

0. F. MATHERS & A. R. STEVENS. ADJUSTABLE PACKING BIN FOR FRUIT, 6w.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 12. 1906.

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No. 863,572. PATENTED AUG. 13, 1907.

0. F. MATHERS & A. R'. STEVENS.

ADJUSTABLE PACKING BIN-FOB FRUIT, 8w. APPLIOATION'IILBD novjlz. 1906.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CYRUS F. MATHERS AND AUGUSTUS R. STEVENS, OF RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

:atented Aug. 13, 1907.

Application filed November 12.1906. Serial No. 342,997.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CYRUS F. MATHERS and AU- GUSTUS R. STEVENS, citizens of the United States, residing at Riverside, in the county of Riverside and State of California, have invented a new and useful 1mprovoment in Adjustable Packing-Bins for F rnit, &c of which the following is a specification.

Our invention is in the nature of a new and improved bin for facilitating the gathering and packing of fruit, and similar products; said bin to be used in an intermediate relation between the gatherer and the packer and being specially constructed to avoid bruising the fruit and to adjust itself automatically to its load of fruit and also to feed the fruit to one end within easy reach of the packer so as to expedite the packing with the minimum amount of handling.

It consists in the novel construction and arrangement of the various parts of the bin as hereinafter described with reference to the drawing, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the bin. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section on line 3-3 of Fig. 4 and Fig. 4 is a front elevation partly in section.

In the drawing, 2, 3, 4 are vertical standards on each side connected near the bottom by horizontal side bars 5, 6, and connected at the ends by horizontal end bars 17, 18 and 19, 20. The back end standards 4, 4, are made somewhat taller than the others and at the top of the same, between them, is pivotally hung the box frame 1 of the bin which is capable of being moved up and down as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1.

The box frame 1 of the bin is of rectangular form and has a wooden or wire mesh bottom t and above the same has a flexible apron 15 of canvas or other similar material which, see Fig. 3, at the front is secured to the bottom of the box frame and thence extends toward the back and passes over a roller 24 at the upper edge of the box frame and down behind the same and is attached to two tension cords 27, 27, which pass around pulleys 25 and extending thence to the front under the bottom of the bin pass over one or more pulleys 26 and are attached to a treadle b, see Fig. 4. This treadle slides Vertically in guides between the upright parallel bars 2 21, and is connected to a subjacent spiral spring 31 whose lower end is anchored to the bottom end bar 20. This spring imposes a tension on the flexible bottom 15 and renders the same yielding against its load of fruit, the flexible bottom 15 descending with an increased load by passing over the roller 24 and consequently, through cords 27 27, drawing out the spring 31 and putting the same under tension. As thefruit is taken out of the bin at the front end by the packers the spring 31 pulls up the back end of the flexible bottom 15 and causes the fruit to roll without injury down to the front end within easy reach of the packers. 'lo' render this action more positive as against a heavy load the treadle b is supplied and upon which the packer may place his foot to pull up the flexible bottom at the back end at will and thus positively roll the fruit to the front. Whenever a fresh load of fruit, however, is dumped into the bin the flexible bottom yields, pulling out the spring 31 until the packers again remove the fruit and by reducing the weight on the flexible bottom allow the take-up spring to again raise the back end of the flexible bottom and again roll the fruit to the front. The movement of the fruit to the front is also regulated by altering the inclination of the box frame of the bin, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. This is provided for as,follows.

Two upright pitmen 11, 11, see Fig. 2, are jointed to castings attached to the bottom of the side bars of the box frame and these castings have guide pins 12 that play in vertical slots 28 in the tops of the middle standards 3. The bottoms of the pitmen are connected to the cranks 38, 38, of a transverse rock-shaft 14 j ournaled at its ends in the side standards 3, 3. On this rock shaft, about its middle, is a rigid disk 10, see Fig. 3, to which is attached a flexible strap 13 and the other end of which strap is attached to a long treadle lever 8 pivoted at its back end and extending in inclined position to the front between upright bars 21, 22, and terminating in a trcadle a. A toothed ratchet bar 23 is fixed to the side of one of the upright bars and a metal lip 32 011 the lever 8 is made to engage therewith to hold the lever 8 down to any desired position. When the treadle lever 8 is forced down, the strap 18 turns the disk 10 and with it the rock-shaft 14 and the latter through its cranks 38 and pitmen 11 raises the bin about its center and holds it at any desired inclination. To change the adjustment it is only necessary to disengage the lip 32 of the treadle lever 8 from the ratchet teeth by a slight lateral motion of the lever, and for this purpose the guide standards 21, 22, are set far enough apart to permit this lateral motion.

To lock the bin fixedly in any adjustment, two long, locking bolts 29, 29, at the front. see Fig. 4, are connected to a hand lever 9 fulcrumed to the front of the box and the outer ends of these bolts are made to enter any one of two sets of holes 30, 30, in the sides of the front standards.

For more convenient portability about the orchard or packing room the bin is mounted upon caster wheels w.

We do not claim broadly a fruit packing bin with a yielding bottom, as we are aware that this is not broadly new. i I

We claim.

1. A packing bin with a bottom adjustable at one end and fixed at the other to roll the fruit to the front end of the bottom.

2. A packing bin with a flexible bottom fixed at one end and adjustable at the other end.

3. A packing bin with a flexible bottom fixed at one end and adjustable at the other and a take-up device for the l posts, a box fraiiie pivoted at one end between the upright rdjustable end.

4. A packing bin with a flexible and adjustable bottom fixed at one end. a roller at the other end over which the Ilexible bottom extends, tension cords connecting with the adjustable end of the flexible bottom and a spring for holding the flexible bottom under tension.

A packing bin comprising a bottom and elevated retaining sides forming a box pivoted at one end and provided at the other end with means for adjusting it up and down to roll the fruit to one end.

(3. A p acking bin pivoted at one end and having beneath the same a transverse rock-shaft with cranks, one or more pitmen for connecting it to the bin, a rigid disk on the rock-shaft, a strap attached to the periphery of the disk and a treadle attached to the strap and extending to the front end of the bin 7. A packing bin pivoted at one end about a horizontal axis a treadle with means for connecting it to the bin and locking bolts for the front end of the bin.

8. A packing bin, comprising a frame having upright posts, pitmen connected to and arranged beneath the box frame, a transverse crank shaft for operating the pitmen, a treadle for rocking the crank shaft, t\vo horizontal look ing bolts at the front of the bin adapted to enter locking seats in the end posts and a lever connected to the inner ends of the locking bolts.

9, A packing bin pivoted at one end about a horizontal axis and having a flexible bottom elevated sides and means for vertically adjusting the other end to roll the fruit to one end.

10. A packing bin pivoted at one end about a horizontal axis, a flexible take-up bottom secured at one end and extending over the other end and provided with a take-up mechanism and means for positively adjusting the front end of the bin about its axis.

CYRUS F. MATI-IERS. AUGUSTUS R. STEVENS.

Witnesses E. M. GIFFORD, M. L. VAN FLEET. 

